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Baby, baby, baby!

Triplet snow leopards were born on May
2! The precious cubs, born to 7-year-old mother Helen and 6-year-old father
Tom, have been tucked away under mom’s close care in a behind-the-scenes den.

Today marked the first day our keepers
and vets were able to access the cubs for a quick health exam—which means it
was also the very first opportunity we had to take photos.

At 2-weeks-old, the cubs are ahealthy weight, ranging between 2.1 and 2.4 pounds.

We
were able to determine that we’ve got two females and one male on our hands. Snow leopard cubs are born with their eyes closed, and our little trio is just starting to open their eyes.

After the brief exam, the cubs were
quickly returned to mom who is taking excellent care of them.

This is her
second litter of cubs, and that maternal experience is paying off. She’s
nurturing the three cubs very well and they’re healthy and hearty because of
it. Good job, Helen!

The little cubsters will remain
cuddling with mom behind the scenes in a quiet, secluded maternal den to allow
them time to bond and nurse comfortably. To minimize disturbance, keepers have
minimal physical contact with the new family and they monitor mom and cubs via
an internal web cam.

Once the cubs are big and strong
enough, we expect to have them venturing outdoors into their exhibit around
mid-July. In the meantime, you’ll be seeing dad Tom out on exhibit. Since snow
leopards are solitary animals in the wild, it’s natural for Tom to be on his
own while mom is with cubs.

Don’t hold back your squees—these cubs
are absolutely adorable. But they are more than just cute. They are ambassadors
for an endangered species that scientists estimate numbers as few as 3,500 in
the wild.

Woodland Park Zoo has a long history of
caring for snow leopards and conserving them in the wild, since the zoo’s first
snow leopards arrived in 1972 from the USSR. Under the Snow Leopard
Species Survival Plan, more than two dozen cubs have been born at the zoo and sent to zoos
worldwide to help diversify the genetic pool of the managed population. By
virtue of their majestic beauty, these cubs become conservation ambassadors
that inspire people to learn more about how to save this endangered cat that is
struggling to survive.

Our work with snow leopards continues
into the wild with our partnership with the Snow Leopard Trust, created in 1981
by the late woodland Park Zoo staff member Helen Freeman, the namesake of the
mother of the newborn cubs. Through innovative programs, effective
partnerships, and the latest science, Snow Leopard Trust is saving these
endangered cats and improving the lives of people who live in the snow leopard
countries of Central Asia.

We’ll be posting updates on the cubs
while they remain behind the scenes and will let you know when they are ready
to debut on exhibit. Exciting times!

Bravo to all concern!! Zoo staff works hard to keep our Snow Leopards happy enough to breed and of course Dad Tom does his part. Precious babies in the care of a Great Mother, Helen. Will be so excited to see them out in Mid-July!!! Congratulations again to all!!!

In the cubs' first few weeks, we minimize our contact so that mom and babies have the privacy they need to bond and nurse. Taking any photos of the cubs with mom right now would require us to be a bit too invasive into their secluded den.

Our only opportunity for photos until they are a bit older and more independent will be when Helen shifts away to let us do 5-minute medical check-ups on the cubs every few weeks. That is how we were able to get these very first photos this week.

We'll be able to take photos of the cubs with their mother when they are a little older and doing so would not disturb them.

It's definitely a possibility, and we're saving any images off the cam that we think might be worth sharing. It is not the best of resolution however, and at this early stage, mom and cubs are cuddled so close together it's hard to see much. But we might be able to get some worthy shots off of there in the near future, and if we do, we'll certainly share!

Thank You WPZ for nurturing these disappearing breeds. You are a world class facility and your staff and volunteers make any visit a classroom. Congratulations on your newest additions. Can't wait to see them!

What beautiful babies. We love coming to the zoo. Our son loved it and now we bring our grandchildren. It is so great to live in a place that has such a wonderful zoo that continues to help all of the endangered animals. Thanks for the great work. Keep it up and take good care of those wonderful babies and mother.

Gah! There is nothing cuter than snow leopard kittens! Now I'm really going to have to renew my membership! They are my favorite animals, and I can't wait to see these beautiful babies. Thank you WPZ for taking such good care of these wonderful animals!